レンタルおにいちゃん Reading Guide

This is an experimental page to show a break down of dialogue from the first chapter of a manga series.

Volume 1 Page 4

①

お兄にいさん:

いい

it's okay

よ

(emph.)

！

買かってあげる

buy for you

Sure, I'll buy you one.

The particle よ at the end of a sentence adds emphasis to the statement.
The て form of a verb is used to link multiple verbs together. For godan verbs such as 買かう (to buy), the final う is replaced by って.
あげる attached to a verb is used when the speaker performs the action of the verb for the benefit of the listener. In this case, the big brother says he will buy a stuffed animal for the girl.

⑥

お兄にいさん:

…

お腹なか

stomach

空すかない

not empty

？

Are you hungry?

The expression お腹なかが空すく literally means "(my) stomach becomes empty". Is it most often used in the past tense お腹なかが空すいた to say "(my) stomach has become empty". The meaning is the same as saying "I'm hungry" in English. The subject-marking particle が is often dropped, due to how common this expression is.
Rather than asking directly, the big brother indirectly asks the girl if she isn't hungry. This is similar to asking "Aren't you hungry?" or "Are you not hungry (yet)?" in English. This makes it easier for the listener to give a negative response without sounding impolite.
The negative form of a godan verb like 空すく is formed by changing the last syllable from the う sound to the あ (空く becomes 空か), and attaching ない.